Content Opportunity Best Practices

There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a Content Opportunity that will ensure that you get great content that you can use:

Be as specific as you can
Whenever possible, cite the topic, geographical location, word length and turnaround time for the piece of content. Citing the section of your publication or website (e.g. Sunday travel section) will allow Creators to research the types of stories you typically publish before pitching you.

Set fees at the high end of your range to start
This will ensure that top Creators respond to your request. You are always free to accept, reject or negotiate Creator bids but getting more pitches from more Creators will help you get a sense of whom you’d like to work with.

Respond to pitches promptly
Creators typically work for multiple publishers and try to be efficient with their time. If you like the Creator's pitch, reply promptly to ensure they meet the deadline.

Give Creators sufficient time to respond to and complete assignments
Plan your editorial calendar to allow as much time as possible for Creators to complete assignments. Creators typically juggle multiple assignments at once, so allowing for more lead time enables them to plan ahead and submit their highest quality work - not a rushed job.

Example Opportunity Overview:

We're looking for a dynamic writer with a background in marketing and/or social media to create a 4-5 page (approx. 2,000 words) guide for small and medium-sized businesses on how to get the most out of YouTube marketing. The guide will appear on Skadeedle.com, a marketing how-to site for business owners and will include your byline.

Interviewing 1-3 small businesses is required and should cover: why to use YouTube, how to get started, how to get content seen and shared and using analytics to measure what's working.